The UN’s envoy, Matthew Nimetz, in an interview for Sitel TV, said that according to him the new package with proposals for solving the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece, the country’s identity and the nation is secured and that he believes that with his ideas it will be more strengthened than damaged.
-I think that the agreement is all acceptable, I tried to reach all major issues, not all, but the biggest ones. I tried to find a way to deal with the name dispute issue in a way that would be acceptable for both sides. My view is that it doesn’t interfere with the identity, but on the contrary, it reinforces the strength of the identity of the country and the people. From my interaction with the people from your country, I think that they have a very strong identity that has lasted for many years. You’ve been independent for 25 years, but you had your identity when you were part of Yugoslavia, you had your identity when you were part of the Kingdom of Serbia and the Ottoman Empire -said Nimetz.
According to him, despite the earlier circumstances, now the whole situation for solving the dispute has changed both in Skopje and in Athens.
– Athens is coming out of the economic distress, they are more self-confident and are trying to play a greater role in the region. In Skopje, there is a new government that seems to be more dedicated to solving this issue. Now I have two governments with serious people, two serious prime ministers and two ministers of foreign affairs, there’s the opposition and the media, and sometime you will have to make a decision. Now is the right moment as there are no elections. Let’s not wait for another 25 years -said Nimetz.
He said that for the proposals, which are put on four pages, it is necessary to have more time to be studied by both sides of the dispute because it is not about the opinion of only one person in Skopje and Athens.
-There is more time for them to think, where it would take a period of three to four days, and then the talks will ensue. My idea is to visit the region if the ministries of foreign affairs of both countries are willing and if they are free in the next ten days, let’s sit down in both places and let’s have serious talks about what they find is useful and let’s find a mutually reasonable compromise -said the mediator.
Regarding the statement of the Macedonian negotiator, Ambassador Vasko Naumovski said that the proposals are far from a dignified solution, Nimetz said that he wouldn’t want to criticize, but he said that coming out with impressions too fast is not good.
